Two classics in one! French onion soup meets macaroni and cheese. 

French onion mac & cheese 

Serves 4-6 

Two classics in one! French onion soup meets macaroni and cheese. 

Ingredients

For the onions  

½ cup butter 
3 onions, sliced
¼ cup water
Salt and milled pepper   

For the mac & cheese  

2L milk
4-6 fresh or dried bay leaves 1 onion, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
Handful black peppercorns 
½ cup butter
½ cup flour
Salt and milled pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup grated Cheddar
1 cup grated Gruyère
1 cup grated mozzarella
1 packet (500g) macaroni, cooked
2 tsp Dijon mustard
3 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped + extra for serving 
Pinch cayenne pepper  

For the topping  

1 cup grated Gruyère (or any other hard cheese) 
½ cup grated Cheddar  

Method 

1. Melt butter in a pan over medium-low heat.
2. Add onions, water and a pinch of salt and cook for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until caramelised. Set aside.
3. In a separate pot, gently heat milk, bay leaves, onion, garlic and peppercorns for about 8-10 minutes.
4. Remove milk from heat, cover and set aside for 10 minutes to infuse. Strain out aromatics.
5. Melt butter in a large pot. Remove from heat and vigorously whisk in flour until a smooth paste forms.
6. Return to the heat and pour in ½  up infused milk, whisking continuously.
7. Add remaining milk in batches, allowing sauce to thicken slightly before the next addition. (This should take about 8-10 minutes).
8. Season and stir through the paprika.  
9. Remove from heat and stir through cheese. Set aside. 
10. Stir cooked pasta, onion mixture, mustard, thyme and cayenne pepper through sauce, making sure to coat well.
11. Spoon mixture into a 30cm ovenproof dish, top with remaining cheese and grill in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until bubbly and golden. 
12. Sprinkle with thyme and serve warm. 

By Nabeela Karim
Text courtesy of Balanced Life magazine
Illustration: Gallo/Getty Images 

Also read: A Mac ‘n Cheese Recipe With a Twist

The post French onion mac & cheese recipe appeared first on MyKitchen.

There’s more to life than spaghetti! We dive into the different pasta shapes and show you how to partner each with the perfect sauce.   

1. Penne 

These short, straight tubes work best with chunky or meat-based sauces as the sauce fills the tubes, making every single mouthful a flavour explosion. 

2. Fusilli 

Shaped like short spirals or screws, fusilli is ideal for baked pasta dishes with rich, creamy or heavy sauces that coats it well. The grooves in the pasta allow for sauces to cling to it perfectly. 

3. Spaghetti 

Long, thin ‘strings’ of pasta make them ideal for herbed butters or light sauces such as pestos or vinaigrettes. Heavier sauces tend not to stick to this type of pasta. 

4. Cannelloni 

Very large, tube-shaped pasta, that is perfect for filling with chunky meat or vegetable based sauces. Great when covered with a creamy sauce, sprinkled with cheese and baked until golden. 

5. Macaroni 

These narrow tubes have a similar function to penne. They work well in soups, baked pasta dishes and creamy thick sauces. Think of the classic Mac n Cheese. 

6. Tagliatelle  

As it holds it shape quite well, it’s deal for light and heavy cream based sauces. The long, flat ribbon shape has plenty of surface area for the sauce to cling to. 

Words by: Penny Setti
Recipes and styling: Sjaan Van Der Ploeg 

The post A complete guide to pasta types appeared first on MyKitchen.

Just the very thought of gooey pasta and cheese makes us feel comforted and happy! Next time you want a bowl of love, whip up our quick-and-easy cheat’s mac ‘n’ cheese.

SERVES 2 // COOKING TIME 30 min

INGREDIENTS
300 g cream cheese
150 g Cheddar, grated
1 tbsp chopped chives
½ tsp English mustard
300 g macaroni, cooked
2 tbsp breadcrumbs

METHOD
1. Place the cream cheese and 100 g Cheddar in a pot. Melt gently, then stir in the chives and mustard. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Stir the melted cheese into the cooked pasta. Place in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with remaining Cheddar and the breadcrumbs.
3. Grill for 5 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.

The post Cheat’s mac ‘n’ cheese appeared first on MyKitchen.

We know plenty of people have started adding ham and bacon to their macaroni cheese. We bulked ours up with brown mushrooms, eggs and smoked paprika. Keep it vegetarian and try our smoky mac & cheese for dinner tonight.

SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 50 min

INGREDIENTS
85g butter
⅓ cup flour
1L milk
200g mature cheddar, grated
Salt and pepper
250g brown mushrooms, sliced
Olive oil, to fry
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chopped thyme
500g macaroni, cooked as per packet instructions
2 eggs
1 tbsp chopped parsley

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Place the butter and flour in a pot. Cook for about 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Add the milk slowly, while whisking.
3. Simmer the sauce over low heat until it thickens. Add two-thirds of the cheese and season well with salt and pepper.
4. Fry mushrooms in oil until browned, 10 minutes. Season well and add paprika and thyme.
5. Stir the mushrooms through the cooked pasta, along with the white sauce, eggs and parsley.
6. Spoon into an ovenproof dish, top with the remaining cheese and bake for 20–30 minutes.

The post Smoky mac & cheese appeared first on MyKitchen.